By Dan Beard

Skimming over the glassy surface of an ice-bound river or pond, propelled by
the wintry blast blowing against artificial wings of cloth, is but a degree
removed from flying. The friction of your skate runners upon the ice is so
slight that it is not difficult to imagine that you have left the earth and are
soaring in midair.

Every boy who has had any skating experience knows what hard
work it is to skate against a stiff wind, and almost all who ever fastened
skates to their feet must have enjoyed the luxury of sailing over the ice before
the wind with a spread coat or open umbrella doing duty as a sail.

For some time
back people in widely separated parts of the world have made more or less
successful attempts at transforming themselves into animated ice-yachts, and
in Canada, Norway, and other cold countries, men with sails rigged on their
backs or shoulders have "tacked," " come about," and
"luffed" themselves in a novel and highly entertaining style, but lately,
for some reason or other, this sport has been allowed to almost die out, and we
are now indebted to two or three writers for reintroducing skate-sailing to the
public with original suggestions and improvements. Mr. Charles L. Norton,
editor of The American Canoeist, was, I believe, the first to call the attention of the public in general, and the boys particularly, to this
delightful sport.

In an article published in the St. Nicholas Magazine,
entitled "Every Boy his Own Ice-Boat," Mr. Norton describes a new and
original device, consisting of a double sail, which is so simple in
construction, and yet so strong, light, and easy to manage, that it is sure to
become a favorite rig with the boys, both large and small.

Following in
the footsteps of Mr. Norton, and adding to our information on this subject,
comes T. F. Hammer with an interesting article published in the Century
Magazine, in which this gentleman gives some personal experience as a winged
skater and a detailed description of the Danish skate-sail.

Among the many
reasons given by skate-sailors why this new and highly exhilarating pastime
should come into general favor are these: skate-sailing can be practiced and
enjoyed on ice too rough for ordinary skating, and a light fall of snow that
ruins the ice for the common skater improves it for the winged yachtsman. Salt-water ice that is too soft for one to enjoy a skate upon affords a
better foothold than smooth, hard, fresh-water ice, and is preferable on that
account.

Wherever you can skate there you may sail, and when the skating proper
is ruined, it often happens that the qualities of the ice are improved for
sailing. There is no record of a serious accident happening to any skate-sailor, although one may attain, literally, the speed of the wind , the higher
the rate of speed the less danger there appears to be, for in falling a person
will strike the ice at such an angle that he is merely sent sliding over the
surface, and little or no damage is done.

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